Piece of my Heart
by Patrina34
Summary: It seems I get inspired to write when decisions about Patrick's job are made… Another missed opportunity in my mind. My version of what happened when the board makes a decision about Patrick's appeal. DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters, previous history or information used from current storylines.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It had been almost five months since Patrick Drake had started the appeal process to get his job back after he had been fired for losing Rafe Kovich on the table. He still maintained that even though he had thought about ending his life to get justice for his son and for Sabrina that he had not acted on it. Even though he had been working with Sam to try to find out what really happened the night of the car accident, he really missed doing what he did best and wanted to get back to work.

After all this time, he was about to find out whether or not he was going to be able to return to General Hospital. He had finally gotten a phone call from the chief of staff, Dr. Obrecht, asking him to meet with her as the board had made a decision. Although working with Sam had provided him some distraction, he was suddenly realizing how nervous he really was about the board's decision. His whole life was riding on the decision the board made and he honestly didn't know what he would do if they didn't give him his job back. He would have to go back to work eventually and was really hoping it would be at GH.

Patrick had been with Sam when he got the call and although she had offered to come with him, he knew this was something he had to do on his own. Stepping off the elevator, he took a deep breath and headed in the direction of Dr. Obrecht's office. As he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see Sabrina sitting outside of Obrecht's office.

"Sabrina?"

"Patrick!" Sabrina said shocked to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"Obrecht called me and asked me to meet her. The board has made a decision regarding my appeal."

"Oh, good luck."

"Thanks, I honestly have no idea what way they are going to go. I'm really hoping that I get to come back, even if it means working for Obrecht," Patrick said trying to make light of the situation. When Sabrina didn't respond, Patrick was alarmed. "Hey. Are you okay?" Patrick asked concerned about her.

"Hmm?" Sabrina asked as if they hadn't been in a middle of a conversation. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were okay. What are you doing outside Obrecht's office anyways?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah. Really, everything is fine," Sabrina said lying through her teeth hoping he would believe her. The truth was that nothing was fine. Nothing had been fine since Robin walked into that church almost a year ago. She and Patrick should be getting ready to celebrate their one-year anniversary in a couple weeks and Gabriel's first Thanksgiving and Christmas. But instead she had lost just about everything that mattered to her. Through it all, she had managed to hang on to her job, the only thing she had left other than Felix, but now she might even lose that.

When Patrick had chosen Robin all those months ago, her heart had been broken. Then she found out she was pregnant and that almost made it all bearable. But when her sweet Gabriel was taken from her, her still broken heart was shattered. When she came back from Puerto Rico, she thought she was better but she knew now she was wrong. She hadn't been able to move on from losing her baby and as a result she tried to make the person responsible feel the same pain that she felt. Only, Carlos had been wrong. Ava hadn't been responsible for the car accident and now there was a good chance Sabrina was going to lose the one thing she had left.

"Okay," Patrick said knowing her well enough to know that she was lying. "I know I haven't seen you much since you've been back, is everything going okay?" Patrick asked trying again to get her to open up to him.

"What? Oh yeah, everything's fine," Sabrina said unconvincingly.

It was obvious to Patrick that everything was not fine, but he had pretty much given up his right to pry when he walked out on her on their wedding day. He really had loved Sabrina, but when Robin returned he was sure going back to her was the right thing to do. He had to stop himself from laughing out loud at the thought of how wrong he had been. After everything he had put Sabrina though, he didn't blame her for keeping her distance, he was actually kind of shocked that she still spoke to him. But that was Sabrina… She was probably the kindest person he had ever known. And even though everything they had been through seemed like a lifetime ago, there was still a piece of his heart that would always belong to her and right now it was causing him to be really worried about her.

Knowing he was better off to leave it alone, he made a mental note to check in with her later, suddenly realizing she hadn't been like herself the last couple times he had talked to her either. Had he been that caught up with his flirtation with Sam and the investigation into Luke Spencer that he really hadn't noticed that something wasn't right with Sabrina?

Patrick was pulled from his thoughts when the door to Obrecht's office opened, revealing Epiphany. "Nurse Santiago, let's go the conference room where we can have a private conversation," Epiphany said in a serious tone, not realizing that Patrick was even there.

"Yes, Nurse Johnson," Sabrina said rising to her feet to follow Epiphany keeping her head down, refusing to make eye contact with either Epiphany or Patrick. She really wished Patrick hadn't been here to see this, she was embarrassed enough as it was and really didn't want him to feel sorry for her. So much for looking like you have everything together she thought.

Patrick watched the scene unfold in front of him. Epiphany coming out of a meeting with Obrecht and needing to talk to Sabrina could not be a good thing. He knew he hadn't been wrong when he thought Sabrina wasn't really fine.

"Drake Junior. I didn't see you there. Are you here to meet with Dr. Obrecht about getting reinstated?" Epiphany said noticing Patrick.

"Yes. Dr. Obrecht called to say a decision had been made."

"Well good luck. This hospital needs you back."

"Thanks Epiphany."

"Come on Nurse Santiago," Epiphany said quickly reverting to her serious tone as she began walking to the conference room, expecting Sabrina to follow.

Patrick tried to catch Sabrina's eye as she walked by, but she kept her head down as she walked by. He knew she was one of the best nurses at GH and couldn't imagine that she could really be in that much trouble. But he couldn't worry about that right now, he had to meet with Obrecht and find out what his own future held.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Patrick walked into Dr. Obrecht's, not sure what was going to happen but hoping for the best.

"Dr. Drake," Dr. Obrecht said seriously as Patrick entered her office. "Please, sit down," she continued pointing to one of the chairs. "As I mentioned on the phone, the board has made a decision regarding your appeal," Dr. Obrecht said when Patrick was seated, wasting no time.

"Okay. And?"

"As you are aware the board has spent a lot of time carefully reviewing your case. Although they agree that your confession of wanting to harm a patient is a significant violation of ethics, since they were not able to prove there was any intentional harm actually done to the patient, the board has decided to reinstate you."

"Are you serious?" Patrick asked, shocked that he would get to keep his job at GH.

"Yes, you may return tomorrow. However," Dr. Obrecht said with a pause. "You must understand that your actions were nothing to take lightly and if you have another violation you won't be so lucky."

"I understand. Thank you, Dr. Obrecht. I will see you tomorrow," Patrick said standing up extending his hand.

"Yes, and Dr. Drake? Do make sure you are prompt. The three strike rule is still in effect," Dr. Obrecht said leaving Patrick with his hand extended.

Patrick left Dr. Obrecht's office more than grateful to have his job back, but couldn't help but wonder if he could really handle working for Obrecht again. He certainly had not missed her for the past several months. Shaking his head as he rounded the corner, he looked up and noticed Elizabeth at the Nurses Station.

"Hey Stranger."

"Patrick! What are you doing here? Good news?" Elizabeth asked hopeful that the board decided to bring him back.

"Yes! Finally," Patrick said.

"Really?" Elizabeth asked.

"Really. I'll be back tomorrow."

"That's wonderful!" Elizabeth said coming around the counter to hug her friend. "I am so glad, the hospital hasn't been the same without you."

"Thanks Elizabeth. I'm looking forward to returning. Are you working tomorrow?"

"I am."

"Great. Then I will see you in the morning."

"Sounds good… Enjoy your last night of freedom," Elizabeth said, causing Patrick to laugh.

"Thanks, back to the scary world of Obrecht tomorrow."

…..

"Nurse Santiago," Epiphany said sitting across from Sabrina in the conference room. "It's no secret that you are one of my best nurses, but I'm not going to lie to you, this Ava Jerome situation is very concerning."

"Nurse Johnson," Sabrina said interrupting Epiphany.

"Let me finish," Epiphany said before Sabrina could say anything. "You know, I care about every single one of my nurses, but somehow Nurse Santiago, you snuck into a place in my heart that not many people come close to. And because of that, I did my best to defend you to Dr. Obrecht and to the board. I know that saying this past year has been difficult for you would be an enormous understatement, but the truth is that all the losses you have faced this year do not justify your actions."

"I know that," Sabrina said with a voice full of regret. "I honestly don't know what came over me. Even if Ava had been responsible, causing harm to an innocent baby is not who I am."

"And I know that. And fortunately for you, I was able to convince the board of that."

"Really?" Sabrina asked allowing herself to feel just a little hopeful.

"Yes, but it's not going to be easy. You're going to have to prove that they can trust you."

"Okay, how do I do that?"

"Well the first thing is that they have requested that you take some time off work to get the help that you really need to deal with your grief."

"Epiphany, I'm fine. Really."

"Sabrina, this is not negotiable. The board has done a formal referral to the Employee Assistance Program. You are required to reach out to them and work with them. You won't be able to return until they say you can."

"Are you serious?"

"Sabrina, I'm not sure you realize how lucky you are. If anything had happened to that baby, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I think it would be wise for you to do as they ask."

"Okay," Sabrina said sounding defeated as she took the card Epiphany had in her hand. If keeping her job depended on climbing out of the hell that the past twelve months was, she wasn't sure she stood a chance. "Is there anything else I need to do?"

"Just get better. I need my best nurse back," Epiphany said offering a slight smile.

"Thanks Epiphany," Sabrina said rising from the table. "I guess I'll be in touch?"

"Absolutely."

….

After her meeting with Epiphany, Sabrina could feel the overwhelming pressure building inside her. She hurried out of the hospital and as the cold air hit her face, she felt the tears start sliding down her face. It was like the dam had been opened and all of the anger, sadness and grief that she had been keeping in for the last year suddenly poured out. She had been pretending everything was okay for so long, letting the tears fall actually felt kind of good.

Other than nearly losing it completely after Gabriel died, Sabrina had thought she was doing a pretty good job of keeping together the mess that she suddenly found herself in. She had been devastated after Patrick went back to Robin and although she was absolutely terrified when she found out she was pregnant, at least it brought a little bit of sunshine to her miserable days. She successfully made it through her work, running into Patrick and Robin, only to go home and cry herself to sleep.

If Sabrina was honest with herself, things hadn't been okay for a long time. She knew she had to make changes, but wasn't ready to start tonight. After walking for a bit, Sabrina ended up in front of The Floating Rib and although she wasn't usually much of drinker she found herself going in anyway. Glad to see Mac wasn't working tonight, she said down at the end of the bar and ordered herself a shot. Quickly putting it back, she ordered herself another one.

"Sabrina?"

Hearing her name, she turned her head to the direction it was coming from.

"Yes?"

"I thought that was you. Is everything okay?"

"Never better," Sabrina said. "Do I know you?"

"Yeah, we spoke a couple weeks ago about the clinic. I'm Michael Corin… Michael Quartermaine."

"Oh yeah. After that introduction, it seems like you could use another drink as much as I could," Sabrina said waving down the bartender to get him another drink.

"Bad day?" Michael asked.

"The worst," Sabrina said as she picked up the shot in front of her.

"I know what you mean," Michael said picking up the one the bartender just poured for him. "To bad days," Michael said raising his glass.

"To bad days," Sabrina repeated before quickly finishing her second drink wishing she could just pretend the last year never happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shortly after finishing her second drink, Sabrina began to feel the effect the alcohol was having on her. She could feel herself getting a little tipsy, her cheeks were getting warm and she was beginning to feel the first signs of the extra boost of confidence that alcohol gave her, the one she wished she had all the time. Sabrina knew that she had been behaving in ways that she normally wouldn't, but that was fueled by her desire to make the person pay who took her baby from her. It had nothing to do with having the confidence to do something about it; it was all about wanting Ava to feel the same way she had.

"So, Michael. I owe you an apology," Sabrina said after ordering another drink.

"An apology, for what?"

"For telling you that Ava was that one that killed AJ, not Carlos. That was based on some incorrect information that Carlos gave me… Seems I've been getting a lot of that lately. But I apologize, I hope I didn't cause you trouble. I know what it can be like to get information that you believe to be true, only to find out it's not."

"No, you didn't cause me any trouble. It came out pretty quickly that it was actually Sonny that killed AJ, not Ava," Michael said taking a sip of his drink.

"I heard about that, seems Ava got pretty lucky."

"I don't know about that. Between everyone finding out that she was the one that killed Connie and her baby missing, she seems to have plenty of problems."

"Did you say her baby is missing?" Sabrina asked, shocked.

"Yeah, Nina Clay drugged her into early labor and then took the baby."

"Oh, that's awful," Sabrina said losing some of the buzz she was feeling. "No one deserves to have their baby taken from them, no matter what they have done." Even though Sabrina knew that she had tried to do the same thing to Ava, after speaking with Carlos about it she felt terrible about the whole thing. Her guilt was what led her to tell Epiphany the truth about what happened. And now, it was her turn to be held accountable for what she did.

"Oh, I'm sorry that was insensitive of me. You lost your baby earlier this year, didn't you? "

"Yeah, I did. I went into early labor after being in a car accident."

"That's right. Did they ever find out who was responsible?"

"Actually, no. Patrick and I had some ideas, but it seems we were wrong."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I know how it feels to want someone to pay for what they did."

"Seems you and I have a lot in common," Sabrina said taking a sip of her drink.

"It does," Michael said with a small smile. "Hey, have you thought any more about coming to work for me at the clinic? I'd love to have you on board. Plus, it will be connected to GH, so you could do both."

"Well…. I might not have a job at GH anymore."

"What do you mean? I was told that you were one of the best nurses they had."

"I may have taken my desire to make the person responsible for taking Gabriel from me pay for what they did a little too far."

"What does that have to do with work?"

"Well another piece of bad information I got from Carlos was that Ava was responsible for the accident."

"Ava? Why would she want to cause you and Patrick to be in a car accident?" Michael asked confused.

"Carlos told me it was Ava's way to get him to confess to murdering AJ. He wasn't going to confess, but when he found out about the accident, Ava said she was responsible so that Carlos would do what she wanted. It was his way of protecting me."

"But she wasn't responsible?"

"Exactly."

"So I'm confused. What does this have to do with work?" Michael asked thinking he might need to slow down on the alcohol.

"Well when Ava came into the hospital with cramps, I may have ensured that the medication she received would do more harm than good," Sabrina said embarrassed, not quite believing she was sharing this information with someone she barely knew.

"You tried to make Ava lose her baby the same way you thought she made you lose yours?"

"Yes. But as soon as I found out that Carlos had been wrong, I did everything I could to make sure she didn't continue taking the medication. And it seems that Dr. Clay was able to stop her from having the baby early, but when the hospital found out what I did…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you all of this."

"No, it's okay. I understand. When I found out that Sonny was responsible for killing my dad, I tried to kill him."

"Really?" Sabrina asked. From the little she knew about Michael, that didn't seem like something he would do. But she was relieved that maybe he actually understood where she was coming from and didn't think she was completely crazy.

"Really. I understand what it's like when your emotions overpower your rationale thought. I guess fortunately for us, neither of us were successful."

"I guess so, hopefully GH will see it that way."

"Well, if GH isn't able to understand the pain you were feeling, it's their loss. We have a long way to go before the clinic will be open, but my offer still stands," Michael said taking out a business card. "Here's my contact information, I hope you will consider joining me."

"That's very kind of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I don't know about you, but I could use a break from thinking about all of this stuff."

"Definitely," Sabrina said nodding in agreement.

"Do you play?" Michael asked turning around looking at the pool table.

"Umm… Not really," Sabrina said with a small laugh.

"Come on, it will be fun."

"Okay, okay. Let's go," Sabrina said picking up her drink and spinning her chair around.

"All right," Michael said taking his drink and following her over to the pool table.

As Michael set up the game, Sabrina had another sip of her drink and pushing all the thoughts of today from her mind, she looked forward to finally having some fun.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, Patrick was finally back at GH after months of being away. In some ways it seemed like he had been gone a lot longer than a few months, but it also felt like he was returning home. He headed to the locker room to change, quickly falling into his old routine as if he had never left. He opened his locker to get his stethoscope and paused as he saw the pictures that were hanging inside.

Seeing the one of Robin, Emma and him from last New Years Eve after they renewed their vows, he shook his head thinking about what a joke Robin's return was. Deep down he knew that she had been through a lot in the two years she was gone, but she was no longer the same person he had fallen in love with. After he saw her at Crichton-Clark and she chose her work over her family, he knew it was time to move on. And now less than a year from when that picture was taken, he was divorced from what he thought was the love of his life.

He briefly placed his fingers on the picture of Gabriel before his eyes moved to the picture of Sabrina and Emma that he had found himself unable to take down, even after he had gone back to Robin. Other than Emma his life certainly had changed over the last year. Grabbing his stethoscope he headed out the nurse's station, hoping to be able to check in with Sabrina, he had been worried about her after she was so unlike herself yesterday, plus he wanted to see how she made out with her meeting with Epiphany.

"Well, if it isn't Drake Jr."

"Epiphany," Patrick said with a smile as he approached the nurse's station.

"It's about time you were allowed to come back to work, the place hasn't been the same without you."

"Thanks Epiphany. It's good to be back," Patrick said as he looked at the nurse's schedule. "Hey, Epiphany?"

"Yes?"

"I don't see Sabrina on the schedule all week. Is everything all right?" Patrick asked concerned. After seeing Epiphany's reaction after meeting with Obrecht and now seeing Sabrina wasn't on the schedule, he hoped everything was okay.

"That's something you're going to have to talk to Sabrina about."

"Epiphany," Patrick started to say.

"Talk to Sabrina, Drake Jr. She could use a friend."

"Okay," Patrick said wondering what was going on with Sabrina. When she returned from Puerto Rico she seemed like she was better. Of course he had been so caught up with Sam and investigating Luke that he hadn't been much of a friend to her. He focused his grief on trying to figure out what really happened the night of their accident and was enjoying the time he spent with Sam, but he was quickly realizing he never kept his promise to Sabrina that they would get through losing their son together.

…

Sabrina woke up the morning after her night at the Floating Rib with a pounding headache. As memories from the night before flooded back, Sabrina pulled the covers over her head hiding from the sunlight. Everything about last night was the opposite of how Sabrina usually acted and she wasn't sure what came over her. She was so tired of pretending that everything was okay and just wanted to be someone else, even if it was only for one night.

She was glad that she had run into Michael, she had wanted to apologize to him since she found out that Ava Jerome wasn't the one that had killed AJ, but whenever she saw him she never had the courage. It turned out that she and Michael had a lot in common with each and after talking about what a mess their lives currently were, they actually had a good time. Thanks to Michael, it was the most fun night Sabrina had had in a long time.

Knowing that she had to get up to face the world and try to get her life back together, Sabrina reluctantly pulled the covers back and got out of bed.

"Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty," Felix said teasing his best friend as Sabrina entered the kitchen. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Ugh, terrible," Sabrina responded as she sat down at the table and buried her head in her arms.

"I thought you might feel that way after last night. I don't think I've ever seen you that drunk," Felix said with a small laugh as he recalled seeing her at the Floating Rib after Michael called him to pick her up.

"I don't think I've ever been that drunk," Sabrina said lifting up her head.

"Here, take some aspirin and I'll make you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, Fe," Sabrina said taking the aspirin from him. "You're the best."

"You're welcome. Now are you going to tell me what caused this hangover?" Felix asked in a concerned voice. Last night Sabrina was definitely not acting like his best friend and he knew something had to have happened.

"Well you know how I told Epiphany about what happened with Ava Jerome?"

"Yeah, even though I told you not to tell her."

"I know. You were right, she had no choice but to go to Obrecht and tell her what happened."

"Oh Bri, tell me you didn't lose your job."

"Well no, but I've been put on a mandatory leave to deal with my grief. And if I can prove to the board that I have and that they can trust me again, I should be able to return to work."

"Okay, that isn't so bad. We can work with that. I wish you had told me that you were having such a difficult time, you know I would have been there for you."

"I know that. I just… I don't know. I felt like after Gabriel died that everyone saw me as this fragile thing that could break at any second. I thought that if I showed any signs of being weak that everyone would treat me with kid gloves again," Sabrina said wiping tears from her eyes.

"Bri, no one thought of you that way. You lost your child after a tragic car accident, no one expected you to be a pillar of strength."

"I know, but I did. I really was doing better after coming back from Puerto Rico. But when Patrick told me that our accident was no accident and Carlos told me that Ava was the one responsible, I don't know what happened. I turned into someone I didn't even recognize."

"You're my best friend, I should have noticed that something was off."

"Felix, this is definitely not your fault. This is my mess and I have to clean it up."

"Well I'm not going to let you do it alone. We'll get you an appointment with Dr. Collins and get you back where you belong, at GH."

"Thank you, Fe," Sabrina said taking ahold of her friends hands, grateful to have him in her life and ready to begin cleaning up the mess she made of her life.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Although the last thing Sabrina wanted to do was remember all the pain of the past year, she knew doing as the hospital asked and actually dealing with her grief was the only way that she was going to get her job back. When she came to Port Charles, she had been so convinced that it was going to be the start of the life she always wanted. And for a short period of time it was, but then everything fell apart. Now, she had lost everything she had ever wanted. So even though she didn't want to relive the past year with a stranger, she didn't want to continue pretending everything was okay even more.

After reaching out to the Employee Assistance Program as instructed, Sabrina found herself unsure of what to do while she waited for Dr. Collins to call to schedule an appointment. Even though she had only been to the cemetery a couple times in the months since she had been back from Puerto Rico, for some reason today it seemed where she belonged. The past couple times she had gone to the cemetery she found seeing her son's name on the headstone make everything too real and quickly left, but today as she approached, she felt a sense of peace for the first time in a long time.

"Hola, mi hijo," Sabrina said before kissing her fingers and placing them on the top of the headstone for a few seconds. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you in a long time, but Mommy missed you so much that it hurt too much to come here," she continued sitting down on the ground. "After your Daddy and I broke up, finding out about you made it a little bearable. I loved feeling you growing inside of me and feeling you move and kick. I was so scared the night you were born, but the first time I saw your perfect little face I loved you more than I ever knew I could love someone. And when I held you in my arms as your heart stopped beating, I hurt more than I ever knew I could. Saying goodbye to you was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I'm ashamed to say I didn't handle it very well. And so I did the only thing I knew to do, I left," Sabrina said wiping the tears from her face. "I thought I was better when I came back, but I know I wasn't. I still missed you so much. I don't think I was strong enough to stay, but sometimes I wonder if things would have been different if I had stayed. I wonder what would have happened if your dad and I found a way to get through losing you together, like he wanted to. I guess now we'll never know. It's something that I have to figure out how to do on my own. I know that I've made a real mess of things. I hope you know that the whole Ava Jerome thing is not who I really am. I promise that I am going to do everything it takes to find the real me again and make you proud of me. You deserve to find out what happened to you, but I never should have done something so terrible in your name and I hope that you can forgive me for that. Mommy loves you so much, my sweet boy."

After just sitting in silence for a while, Sabrina realized that she had not dressed warm enough to stay outside for so long on this cold November day. Knowing she had said everything she needed to say to her son, she silently stood up and just as she did when she arrived, she kissed her fingers and briefly placed on them on the headstone before leaving.

….

Although Patrick was happy to return to work and saving lives, he was happier to have his first day back completed. Since this morning when he opened his locker and saw the pictures of his former life, he couldn't wait to get home and see the one person that mattered most to him, his daughter. So after completing his shift, he thought he would surprise Emma by picking her up at school.

"Daddy?" Emma said when she saw her dad waiting to pick her.

"Hi Sweetheart!" Patrick said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, after my first day back at GH, I missed my girl. I thought maybe we could go to Kelly's and get some hot chocolate. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a great idea!" Emma said as she walked with her dad to the car.

"I was hoping you'd say that. How was your day at school?"

"It was good. We're learning about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving."

"Oh, yeah? That sounds like fun and just in time for Thanksgiving on Thursday."

As Patrick spoke with his daughter about her day, he realized that even though he hadn't been working, he hadn't been spending very much time with his daughter lately. He loved spending time with her and listening to her stories. Although finding out what happened the night of the accident was important to him, he made a mental note that spending time with daughter should come first.

By the time they got to Kelly's, Emma was still talking to Patrick about her day and he was soaking up every second of her stories. Patrick opened the door to Kelly's, holding it open for Emma, but before Patrick could even get inside, Emma darted off.

"Sabrina!" Emma said excitedly, seeing Sabrina sitting at one of the tables.

"Emma!" Sabrina said just as excited as Emma. Although Sabrina had been home for months, she hardly ever saw Emma. As much as Sabrina loved and missed Emma, it was so hard to be around Patrick as he reminded her of everything she lost. "How are you?" Sabrina asked opening her arms just in time for Emma to crash into her.

"I'm good. I miss you."

"I miss you too, babe." Sabrina said before kissing Emma's head and looking up towards the door making eye contact with Patrick who smiled in that way that melted Sabrina's heart. She missed that smile.

"How come you're so cold?" Emma asked as she pulled away from Sabrina.

"Well I spent a bunch of time outside this afternoon and I just haven't warmed up yet."

"It's so cold out. Why did you stay outside for so long?"

"Well I was visiting your brother and I just didn't want to leave. That's why I am here…. There's nothing like some Kelly's hot chocolate to warm you up."

"That's why we are here too! I love hot chocolate!"

"Me too," Sabrina said as Patrick approached the table.

"Hi," Patrick said.

"Hi," Sabrina said wishing things weren't so uncomfortable between them.

"Emma, why don't we go find a table and leave Sabrina to enjoy her hot chocolate," Patrick said.

"Wait. Why don't you join me?" Sabrina said seeing the look of disappointment on Emma's face.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your afternoon."

"I'm sure, I'd love the company." Sabrina said not sure at all. She would love to be with Emma, but Patrick, well that was another story.

"Yay!" Emma said excited.

"Emma, why don't you go to the counter and order us the hot chocolate?" Patrick asked wanting a moment alone with Sabrina to hopefully find out what was going on with her.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"Hey," Patrick said getting Sabrina's attention. "So I returned to GH today," Patrick started to say.

"You did? Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Sabrina said sincerely.

"Thanks. But I noticed that you weren't on the schedule all week. When I asked Epiphany about it, she said that I needed to talk to you. I saw you outside Obrecht's office yesterday… Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Sabrina said lying to Patrick, again.

"Sabrina," Patrick said reaching out to her hand that was on the table and covering it with his own. "I know that things have changed a lot between the two of us, but I still know you well enough to know when something is bothering you."

Damn it, Sabrina thought to herself. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to continue pretending that everything was fine with him, he knew her too well. She didn't know what to say to him. Everything was so far from okay she didn't know where to start. But God it felt good to have his hand touching hers again.

"Sabrina, please. I'm worried about you."

"Patrick," Sabrina said fighting back the tears that seemed to come so easily these days. She was surprised to hear him say he was worried about her. Lately it seemed all he worried about was spending time with Sam Morgan. "It's nothing, really. You don't have to worry," Sabrina said keeping the walls she built up over the past year perfectly intact.

"Sabrina," Patrick started to say as Emma returned to the table, knowing the brief window he had to talk to her had come and gone. It was clear to Patrick that Sabrina was shutting him out, but he couldn't understand why. He thought that ever since Gabriel, things had gotten better between the two of them. As he watched Sabrina with his daughter, he could see that even though she had a smile on her face, it was hiding whatever was really going on, whatever it was that she wouldn't share with him. And even though Sabrina told him not to worry, he found himself more concerned about her now then he was this morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been two weeks since Patrick had seen Sabrina at Kelly's and he hadn't been able to stop worrying about her. She still wasn't on the schedule at work and the rumors that the nurses were spreading around did nothing to relieve his concerns. Epiphany insisted that he talk to Sabrina, but she had made it clear to him that she was fine and he knew he longer had the right to push the issue. He had tried to call her a couple times, but it always went to voicemail. Since she wouldn't let him help her with whatever it was that was going on, he continued to spend time with Sam to try to find out what really happened the night of the accident. He thought if he was able to give her some real closure to that night, it might be his way of helping her.

After months of trying to figure out what was going on, they finally got a break on Thanksgiving when Julian Jerome told Alexis that someone had been pretending to be Luke Spencer for months and the real Luke was locked up at Miscavige. Somehow it made Patrick feel better knowing that it wasn't really Luke that caused his accident, but it was someone else. He still didn't know why anyone would want to hurt him or his family, but he was determined to find out. Unfortunately, the fake Luke seemed to have disappeared since the real Luke had returned and no one had been able to figure out who the fake Luke was. Until now.

When his shift was finished he checked his voicemail to find a rambling message from Sam that Cesar Faison had been arrested for trying to kill her father and he was wearing an elaborate mask of Luke Spencer. Patrick let out a deep breath and wondered if he would finally find out what happened the night of the accident? He quickly changed and headed to the PCPD where Sam said Anna had promised the two of them a private meeting with Faison.

….

As Patrick ran out of the interrogation room chasing Sam, he had a million thoughts running through his head. How was he going tell Sabrina? He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, of course Victor Cassadine was the one that was responsible for the car accident; he was the only one that made any sense. Sabrina. How was he going to tell her that they lost their son so that Robin would continue to do what Victor wanted? "Sam, wait!"

He was surprised when he heard his voice call out for Sam. He knew that right now he should be more concerned about Sam finding out that he had known about Jason being alive for months, but for some reason all he could think about was Sabrina. Patrick knew that knowing what really happened still wouldn't make losing Gabriel okay, but he hoped that it would give her some peace.

"What Patrick? What could you possible say to me? You knew that Jason was alive for months and didn't tell me," Sam said as she stopped running and turned to face Patrick.

"Sam, please. I couldn't tell you, Victor…"

"Victor? Really? That's all you've got as an excuse?"

"You're right, it's not an excuse. But he made Robin and I promise that we wouldn't tell anyone. At first Robin didn't know whether or not she would be able to save him and then after seeing her at Crichton Clark and finding out Jason was really dead, it was too late for you to do anything and I didn't want to make you go through the pain of losing him all over again," Patrick tried to explain.

"Really? Was that really it? Or were you afraid that if I thought that Jason was alive for even a second that whatever this was going on between the two of us wouldn't have a chance?" Sam spat out.

"What?" Patrick asked before he could stop himself from saying it. Did Sam really think so little of him that she actually believed he wouldn't tell her that her husband might be alive just so he could get her into bed?

"Did you not tell me about Jason because you knew I would go back to him in a heartbeat?" Sam chastised.

Patrick knew Sam would be pissed at him if she had ever found out that he knew Jason was alive, but this was not what he expected. Her accusations didn't even make sense. It wasn't until he found out that Jason was really dead that anything romantic or sexual between the two of them started and at that point he really thought he was doing the right thing by not telling her.

"Sam, I can't believe you would say something like that," Patrick said. It really bothered him that she would even think that of him, never mind actually believe it enough to say it out loud. "I'm sorry that you think so little of me," Patrick said becoming angry. "But seeing as that is the case, there is somewhere else I have to be," Patrick said as his mind went back to Sabrina. He knew that right now, it was more important to tell Sabrina what really happened than argue with Sam.

"That's it? You're just going to leave?" Sam asked.

"That's it," Patrick said calmly before turning to head out the door. He couldn't believe that he had been so wrong about him and Sam. How could he have thought there was anything between them when she thought so little of him? As soon as the fresh air hit him, he took a deep breath and picked up the phone to call Sabrina, hoping this time she would pick up.

….

Sabrina picked up her ringing phone and paused as she saw the photo on the screen identifying the caller. Patrick. Seeing Patrick call her used to put the biggest smile on her face, now it just reminded her of everything she lost. Until recently, it was rare for her to get a call from him and when she did, it was usually Emma. But these last couple of weeks, ever since she saw him at Kelly's, he kept calling to "make sure she was okay," according to the voicemail.

It took everything she had in her not to answer the phone when he called, because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to keep lying to him for much longer. She knew that he knew she was lying to him and she knew she would have to tell him what happened, but she wasn't ready. She had started seeing Dr. Collins the week before, but since he wanted her to start at the beginning, they were nowhere near discussing the Ava Jerome fiasco.

Her phone kept ringing. And she kept staring at the screen with his picture identifying him as the caller. With only a second left before it went to voicemail, Sabrina found herself sliding her finger across the screen unlocking the phone. "Hello," Sabrina said putting the phone up to her ear.


	7. Chapter 7

**A snow day for me means a new chapter for you… I hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 7

The longer the phone rang, the more Patrick willed Sabrina to pick up. "Sabrina, please pick up the phone," Patrick said knowing it was about to go to voicemail. He was shocked when he heard the phone stop ringing and her voice come across the line.

"Hello."

"Sabrina, hi. I'm so glad you picked up," Patrick said almost frantically.

"Patrick? Is everything all right? Is it Emma?" Sabrina responded matching his tone.

"No, it's nothing like that. Emma's okay, everything's okay."

Sabrina was relieved when Patrick said everything, especially Emma, was okay. Just like she did her father, Sabrina still loved that little girl. "Oh, thank God," Sabrina said letting some of her walls down. "Listen, Patrick, I know I never called you back, but really…"

"It's not about that," Patrick said interrupting. Of course he was still worried about whatever it was Sabrina wasn't telling him, but right now, their son took precedence.

"It's not?" Sabrina asked surprised. Patrick had called her a few times since she saw him at Kelly's, always asking if she was okay, she just assumed that was why he was calling again.

"No, it's not. Sabrina, I need to talk to you about Gabriel."

At the sound of her son's name, Sabrina froze. Gabriel? Maybe Patrick had had better luck than she did when it came to finding out who put Rafe up to causing their accident. Would she finally know the reason that she wasn't holding her baby in her arms?

"Sabrina? Are you there?" Patrick asked pulling Sabrina from her thoughts.

"Sorry. I'm here. What about Gabriel?" Sabrina asked.

"I was hoping we might be able to talk in person. Do you think you might be able to come over?"

"Tonight?" Sabrina asked hesitantly, not sure being alone with Patrick in his house was such a good idea.

"Anna is going to pick up Emma from dance and then she is going to spend the night at Anna's, so I could go to your apartment if you prefer?"

"No, it's fine. I can be there in an hour?"

"Great. I'll see you then."

Sabrina hung up the phone hopeful that Patrick knew what happened the night of the accident, what else could talking about Gabriel mean? At the same time, she was nervous about finding out what really happened. It would only show how wrong she had been about thinking that it had been Ava. Forcing herself not to think about that, Sabrina got up to get ready to head over to Patrick's.

…

Patrick was relieved when Sabrina picked up the phone, he had been pretty sure that she was just going to let it go to voicemail again. Although he didn't know what it was, he knew that something was really upsetting Sabrina and he hoped that after telling her about Victor, that she might up open up to him about what was really going on. Even though Patrick knew he hadn't been a very good friend to Sabrina lately, he still cared about her and according to Epiphany she could really use a friend right now.

….

After ringing the doorbell, Sabrina found herself nervous about seeing Patrick as she waited for him to open the door.

"Sabrina, hi," Patrick said pulling her into a hug.

"Hi," Sabrina said back enjoying the feeling of his arms around her. It had been a long time since she had felt his arms around her, which only meant whatever he was about to tell her couldn't be good.

"Please come in," Patrick said pulling away and standing over to the side making room for her to enter the house.

Sabrina stepped forward feeling incredibly awkward in a house that used to feel like home to her. She looked around and noticed that it hadn't changed much in the months since she had last been there, fewer pictures of Robin, but other than that it was the same place where she had so many wonderful memories with Patrick and Emma.

"Let me take your coat," Patrick said causing Sabrina try to clumsily remove it to give it to him quickly, feeling much like she did when she had that huge crush on him. As he went to hang up her coat, Sabrina sat down on the couch and waited for Patrick to join her.

"So, you said you wanted to talk about Gabriel?" Sabrina asked feeling her voice catch when she mentioned his name.

"Yes," Patrick said sitting next to her on the couch. "As you know, Sam and I have been working together to try to find out what happened," Patrick said as Sabrina tried not to cringe at the sound of Sam's name, wondering what he possibly saw in her.

"Right. I think the last time we talked about it, you thought Luke Spencer was behind it?"

"Exactly. Well it turns out that Luke Spencer wasn't really Luke Spencer."

"Oh, I think I read about that in the Port Charles Herald. Someone by the name of Cesar something was pretending to be him. Was he the one that caused the accident?"

"Well no. But you're right, Cesar Faison was pretending to be Luke Spencer. And since Sam and I thought that he was behind it and because he was the one that killed Sam's husband, Jason, Anna got us in to see him."

"Patrick, I don't understand. If this Cesar person pretending to be Luke wasn't the one that had Rafe cause our accident, who did?"

"Do you remember when you came by when you came home from Puerto Rico?"

"Yes, of course," Sabrina asked even more confused.

"After we talked about the accident, do you remember how I told you how I hadn't been a good friend to Sam?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with this?"

"Apparently, everything," Patrick said breaking eye contact with Sabrina.

"Patrick? What are you talking about?" Sabrina asked bringing her hand to Patrick's face, lifting it up so that he would look at her.

"Do you remember how I told you that someone came to Robin with evidence that Jason was alive?"

"Yeah. You told me that someone had evidence that Sam's husband was alive and so Robin went to help him."

"Right, that someone is Victor Cassadine."

"Victor Cassadine? Is he related to Nikolas?"

"Yes, he's his great uncle."

"Patrick, I'm sorry but I still don't understand what this has to do with the accident."

"Victor came to Robin wanting her to help save his family, Helena and Stavros. When she refused, he told her that she would also be able to help save Jason. And since Robin would do anything to save Jason, she agreed to go. But he made her promise she wouldn't tell anyone what she was going to do, or he would kill Jason."

"Okay… So what are you saying? Are you saying that this guy Victor Cassadine was the one who had Rafe cause our accident?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Sabrina. Cesar told me that he had nothing to do with the accident, that Victor Cassadine was the one responsible."

"I don't understand. Why? Why would this guy want to hurt us?"

"Sabrina, it wasn't about us. You weren't supposed to be in the car. It was just supposed to be me and Emma," Patrick said taking Sabrina's hand in his. "Victor had Rafe cause the accident so that Robin would keep working for him and so that I would stay quiet."

Sabrina felt the tears coming down her face. Finally knowing who was responsible didn't give her the sense of peace that she thought she would feel. Instinctually Sabrina pulled her hand back from Patrick, not wanting him to touch her. Robin. Sabrina couldn't believe that she lost another person she loved because of Robin. She wiped her face with her hand trying to find her voice. "So where is Victor Cassadine?" Sabrina asked hopeful that the person responsible for her son's death was in custody.

"He was killed in the Crichton-Clark explosion last month."

"He's dead?"

"Yes. If you ask me, he got what he deserved."

"I agree."

"Sabrina, I know it was important for both of us to find out what happened the night of the accident, to find out why we lost Gabriel," Patrick said as his voice caught on their son's name.

"It was," Sabrina said thinking about all the things she had done trying to find out what happened. "Maybe he will be able to rest in peace," Sabrina continued wiping away more tears.

"I hope so. And I was hoping that knowing would help you as well."

"Me? What do you mean?"

"I was hoping that it would be one less thing for you to worry about. When Gabriel died, I promised you that we would get through losing him together. When you returned from Puerto Rico, I know I didn't hold up my end of that promise and I'm sorry for that. But I know you well enough to know that something is going on with you, and it's not just losing Gabriel," Patrick said, taking her hand again.

"Patrick," Sabrina said trying to interrupt.

"Sabrina, I know that a lot has happened between the two of us, but I still care a lot about you and I'd like to help you, if I can. Even if it is just to listen."

Sabrina let out a deep breath. She knew she couldn't keep lying anymore, she knew it was time to tell Patrick the truth about what she had done.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sabrina knew it was time to tell Patrick the truth, but she didn't know where to begin. She let go of Patrick's hand and brought both her hands to her head, running her fingers through her hair before clasping them together and putting them on her lap.

"Sabrina? I'm worried about you. Please tell me what is going on."

"Oh, Patrick," Sabrina said shaking her head, before looking down.

"Hey," Patrick said lifting her head back up. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Sabrina gave Patrick a small smile. "I don't know where to start."

"Okay, does this have to do with why you aren't on the schedule at GH anymore?"

"Yeah, it does," Sabrina said nodding her head.

"Okay," Patrick said patiently not wanting to rush her, just glad that she was finally opening up.

"Patrick, when I came home from Puerto Rico, I felt so much stronger than after we lost Gabriel. Being away from Port Charles and seeing my family made me feel so much better. But then you told me how the accident wasn't really an accident and I kept thinking about it. I had gone to visit Carlos and he told me that Ava Jerome was responsible."

Patrick cringed at the sound of Carlos' name. He still hated the thought of that guy being around Sabrina. "Carlos told you that Ava was responsible? Why would Ava want to hurt us?"

"Not us. Me. Carlos said that Ava had threatened me prior to the accident, so when Carlos confronted Ava after the accident, she admitted to causing it so that he would confess to killing A.J. Quartermaine."

"Is that why you were so adamant that all the leads that Sam and I had were dead ends?"

Sabrina nodded. "I was so convinced that Ava was the who was responsible, it became all I could think about. But after our conversation about you thinking it was Luke, I went back to see Carlos."

"You went to see Carlos in Pentonville, again?" Patrick asked unable to hide his disdain Carlos.

"Patrick, please I know you don't like him, but I had to get more information. When I told Carlos about Luke confessing, he admitted Ava said she caused the accident after the fact. That she could have been lying to get him to do what she wanted. But it was too late."

"I don't understand. Sabrina what was too late?"

"Patrick, after Carlos told me that Ava was the one responsible for the accident, it consumed me. I don't know what happened, I became someone I didn't recognize."

"Sabrina, why wouldn't you have told me that you thought it was Ava?"

"I don't know. All I could think about was making her pay for what she did to my son. I was fixated on the fact that because of that woman Gabriel was born too early. Because of that woman my baby wasn't in my arms. So, when she came into the hospital with cramps and left before the doctor was able to give her a prescription, I had the prescription filled for her."

"Sabrina? What did you do?" Patrick asked, not believing the story that he was hearing.

"I gave her misoprostol. I wanted her to lose her baby, the same way she caused me to lose mine."

"Oh Sabrina," Patrick said not knowing what else to say. He couldn't believe that he had been so blind to how much pain Sabrina was in. He should have known that something was going on with her, he should have been able to help her.

"I know. I can't believe I was capable of doing something so terrible," Sabrina said fighting back the tears. "So, my meeting with Carlos forced me back into reality. It made me remember that whether or not Ava was guilty, her baby wasn't. I was able to get in touch with Ava and get her to stop taking the medication and thank god, her baby is okay. But I told Epiphany what happened and she had no choice but to go to Obrecht."

"That's why you were sitting outside her office that day? And why you aren't on the schedule anymore?"

"Yes. Thanks to Epiphany, I still have a job but the board required me to take a leave of absence to deal with my grief. I can't return until I've proven myself to the board."

"Sabrina, we all make mistakes…."

"Patrick, you don't have to make excuses for me," Sabrina said interrupting. "This was much bigger than a mistake. I know what I did was terrible and that there is no excuse for my actions. I honestly don't know what came over me, but I know that I'm not that person anymore. The board is probably right anyways, I never really dealt with my grief, I just hid from it."

"I wish you had told me what was going on. I promised you that we would get through this together. When I told you that Emma and I were your family, I meant it. I guess when you came back, you seemed so much better that I thought you were okay."

"I was okay. Please don't blame yourself for this. I was okay, I really don't know what came over me."

"I guess like you, I became so fixated on working with Sam to find out what happened, that I missed what was going on with you, even though it was right in front of me. Is there anything I can do now?"

"No, I have to clean up this mess on my own. Thank your for listening. Thank you for not thinking I'm a horrible person."

"Sabrina, I could never think that of you. You are probably the kindest and most caring person I've ever known. But you have to promise me something?"

"What's that?"

"If you need anything, you have to promise to let me know. I promised that we would get through this together and I think it's time I lived up to that."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Come here," Patrick said reaching out his arms.

Sabrina went into his arms willingly, feeling as though the weight of the world was off her shoulders having finally told Patrick what she had done. "Well I guess I should be going," Sabrina said reluctantly pulling away from Patrick.

"Okay."

"Thank you for listening and for telling me about what happened the night of the accident."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, please let me know."

"I will," Sabrina said as she stood from the couch and headed for her coat. "Hey," Sabrina said turning around to face Patrick, suddenly realizing that Sam must have found out about Jason when Cesar told Patrick that Victor was the one responsible for the accident.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay with you and Sam? She must have found out about Jason when Cesar told you about the accident."

Patrick stood from the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "Not exactly."

"She was upset that you didn't tell her about Jason?"

"Yes. She felt as though I took away her opportunity to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry. I told you that you shouldn't tell her, that she would only have to grieve for him again."

"Don't apologize. I agreed with you, that's why I didn't tell her."

"But she didn't understand, did she?"

"No, she actually accused me of not telling her so that I could sleep with her."

"She didn't?"

"She did."

"What did you do?"

"I told her that I couldn't believe she thought so little of me and walked out so that I could call you."

"Oh," Sabrina said, surprised. Although Sabrina didn't see what he saw in Sam, he obviously cared a lot about her and was stunned that he would walk out on her and put their relationship in jeopardy.

"You seem surprised?"

"I just would have thought you would have stayed to work things out with Sam."

"If she thinks I would actually do that, I'm not sure there is anything to work out. Besides, it was more important that I reach you and let you know what happened to our son."

"Well thank you again for letting me know," Sabrina said putting her coat on. Although she and Patrick hadn't been together for a long time, she still cared about him and Emma, and for some reason, Sabrina felt that Sam didn't seem right for them.

"You're welcome. Thanks for picking up the phone," Patrick said with a smile teasing her.

"Yeah… Sorry about ignoring your calls. There aren't many people that know me as well as you and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep pretending everything was okay with you."

"Sabrina, I know a lot has happened, but I really do still care you."

"I know. Have a good night, Patrick," Sabrina said as she stepped out the door and headed home, feeling better than she had in a long time.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ever since telling Patrick the truth a few weeks ago and continuing to see Dr. Collins, Sabrina was beginning to feel like her old self again. Even though she stilled missed her son greatly, she no longer felt like she was drowning in grief. As she got ready to meet Felix at the GH Christmas party, she finally felt as though she was getting control of her life again.

She zipped up the red dress that Felix insisted she buy when they were out shopping last week. Like always, he was right. The dress fit her perfectly, hugging her curves in all the right places. She stepped into her heels and with one last adjustment to the dress she was ready to go.

….

The GH Christmas party was a tradition that Patrick had loved since Robin brought him to it all those years ago. Now it was something that Emma loved as much as he did. After finding out the truth behind the accident, Patrick realized how disconnected from his life he had become. He couldn't believe that he had started to fall for Sam, someone who despite all the time they had spent together really hadn't known him at all. He had spent the last couple of weeks focusing on his daughter and his job and noticed that he hadn't really missed Sam at all.

As Patrick straightened his tie, he realized how much he was looking forward to watching her have fun tonight and open her gifts tomorrow morning. Despite how distracted Patrick had been recently, she was still the same amazing kid she had always been.

"Daddy?" Emma asked pulling Patrick from his thoughts.

"Yes Sweetheart?"

"Are you ready to go?"

"I am. Wow, you look great! You and Grandma Anna did an awesome job picking out a dress for tonight."

"Yeah, and look…" Emma said spinning around as the dress twirled around her.

Patrick laughed as he watched his daughter. "Very nice. What do you say we head over to GH before you get too dizzy?"

"Yes!" Emma said excitedly.

….

Patrick and Emma stepped off the elevator on the pediatrics floor and took in all the Christmas decorations.

"Felix!" Emma said excitedly as she saw her old friend.

"Miss Emma Drake. Look at that dress. Do a little spin for me?" Emma smiled and obliged, willingly showing off her dress. "I knew it was the perfect dress for that, it looks great."

"Thanks, Felix!"

"Hi Dr. Drake, Merry Christmas," Felix said extending his hand.

"Merry Christmas. And Felix, I know things are a lot different than they used to be, but after all the support you gave to me and Sabrina this spring, please call me Patrick," Patrick said shaking his hand.

"Patrick. Well guys, I hate to run, but I have to go make sure all my elves are ready!" Felix said as he watched Emma's eyes light up. "You know," Felix said looking up from Emma to Patrick, "I could use some help," Felix continued as Patrick nodded his head. "Do one of you think you could help me?"

"Me! Me! Please can I go Daddy?"

"Yes, you may. But make sure you are on your very best behavior for Felix, okay?"

"I will. I'll be back soon!" Emma said leaving Patrick standing by himself at the elevator as the doors opened.

Patrick stepped to the side to make room for the people to exit the elevator and as he turned, he saw Alexis, Sam and Danny step off.

"Mom? Would you take Danny for me? I need to talk to Patrick," Sam said holding Danny out towards her mom.

"Of course," Alexis said taking her grandson from her daughter's arms. "Merry Christmas, Patrick."

"Merry Christmas," Patrick said as Alexis left them alone.

"Patrick, I've been wanting to call you. But every time I would pick up the phone, I didn't know what to say."

Patrick didn't know what to say either. He hadn't seen or spoken to Sam since that night two weeks ago at the PCPD. He still couldn't believe that Sam had accused him of not telling her about Jason just so he could sleep with her. Since that night he realized that he didn't know Sam as well as he thought he did and if he was honest, he hadn't missed her very much the past couple weeks.

"Patrick?"

"Sam."

"Listen, Patrick. I'm sorry about what I said that night at the PCPD. I was upset about finding out about Jason maybe being alive. I was angry that you knew and didn't tell me. I didn't mean what I said."

"But you said it, so you must have been thinking it," Patrick said still angry that she would have even thought so little of him.

"Patrick, I was upset."

"Okay."

"Patrick, please. I'm sorry. I want to work this out with you."

"Sam, I'm not sure there is anything to work out."

"Are you serious? I thought that you and I had something special."

"For a little while, I did too. But now, I'm not so sure."

"Patrick…" Sam started to say, before seeing that Patrick meant it. "Well if you change your mind, you have my number. Merry Christmas, Patrick."

"Merry Christmas, Sam," Patrick said as she walked away, knowing that he made the right decision. Sam wasn't the right person for him and his daughter, but he had an idea of who was.

….

Sabrina arrived at GH and headed over to the elevator to head up to the Christmas party. She pushed the button and was waiting for the doors to open, when she heard someone call her name.

"Sabrina?"

"Michael!" Sabrina said turning around.

"I thought that was you," Michael said. "Heading to the Christmas party?"

"Yes! I love seeing the peds floor all decorated and hearing the story of Christmas. Is that where you're going?"

"Yes, my grandmother, Monica Quartermaine, is the one who reads the story. It's kind of a family tradition."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot she was your grandmother," Sabrina said as they both stepped on to the waiting elevator.

"Yes, she's been reading the story ever since my grandfather, Alan, passed away."

"I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I've heard wonderful things about him."

"Yes, he was well loved in this hospital," Michael said as the elevator doors opened and they both stepped off. "Are you meeting someone here?"

"I'm supposed to meet my roommate Felix, but I don't seem him. He might still be getting the elves ready."

"Well I'd love to keep you company until he is free."

"I'd like that," Sabrina said with a smile as they walked over to a bench and Michael helped her take her coat off.

…

Patrick turned toward the elevator just as she stepped off and couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. He was surprised to see Sabrina step off the elevator with Michael Corinthos or was it Quartermaine these days. He didn't realize the two knew each other, but as they walked over to the bench together he knew they must have come together and he couldn't help but feel a little envious that he wasn't the one by her side.

He watched as Michael helped take her coat off, revealing the perfectly fitting red dress underneath. She looked stunning. She always did. Patrick may not have missed Sam over the last couple of weeks, but he had missed Sabrina. And now, seeing her with Michael, he hoped he hadn't waited too long to tell her that.


End file.
